Thursday, May 24, 2012

David Rose

David Rose drifted into Arizona in the 1970s and became a regular there for decades, working with a cowboy hat and appearing as a villain before turning into a fan favorite.

He would also travel outward under a mask, which is another story all together and his life as "David" is the focal point here.

Rose would become a mainstay at the Phoenix Madison Square Garden until it closed to wrestling in 1979. He appeared many times there as well as other places on the Arizona circuit.

People he would face in this time span in the area included Chuck Karbo, Chuck Hondo, Billy Anderson, Benny Mendeblis, Jody Arnold, Freddie Gomez, Hercules Stevenson, Jimmy Kent, Paul Harvey , Masked Frankenstein, The Golden Eagle, The Warlock, Mike Gordon, John Ringer, Eddie Sullivan, The Viking, The Lumberjacks, Nano Ortega and many others.

During the 1980s, Rose promoted his own shows as well as wrestled, both with and without his mask, depending on when and where. His feud with the two Lumberjacks continued, as did his battles with Ringer.

At this time he held the North American Jr Hwy. title.

Rose eventually moved to Kansas, but found hismelf back in Phoenix a few years ago, where he again became invovled with trainign and promoting.

One of his most celebrated ventures, dealt with in an earlier blog, remains talked about by older fans to this day, relating to his suicidal leap from the balcony to the arena floor to hit the ring and make a save.

David has also been a regular at the annual Arizona Old Timer wrestling reunions held each January in Phoenix.